Monday 29 August 2016
Consequences
We
don't really realize what happens when we violate a universal law. The repercussions
have long and far reaching effects. There is a snowball effect for everything.
And once the consequences begin to spiral outwards, they complete their circle
of movement. And to experience the consequences is inevitable.
Humans are naive enough to believe that if
they disobey the universal laws surreptitiously, deviously and silently, they
can get away with it. Think again! Like the proverbial fly on the wall, the
Universe watches. Every second! But we do many things in ignorance and out of
the preview of the parameters of wisdom...this has to change first.
Surekha Kothari
surekhakothari.wordpress.com
Friday 26 August 2016
Depression
Depression
should not be allowed to step close to us. It has many, many repercussions. If
you examine the reasons, one of the foremost ones would be the pain of
unfulfilled expectations, especially of unrequited love.
As
we know, no man is an island. But in developing relationships, there comes a
tipping point which turns the relationship into one of dependency, into a need
of a crutch. Automatically then, this is the start of the end of the
relationship. Healthy bonds work differently. They can work on mutual
dependency better than one stronger and one weaker link.
There is every need to strengthen our backbone to stand upright,
even if to walk alone. Inner strength compensates for the presence or
perception of many lacks. And it would be within the preview of wisdom to be
aware that we journey alone from life to life. So, holding onto to any form of
crutch is going to be nothing short of meaningless. Then why the depression?
Surekha Kothari
surekhakothari.wordpress.com
Thursday 25 August 2016
Wednesday 24 August 2016
Idealism
I
met someone recently after a long time and was really delighted to see some
profound changes. Though we had not been more than good acquaintances, the transformation was glaring, even for
me.
And I once again started thinking about
why we find it in our hearts to have such fixed opinions about people. It is
almost as if we write them down in stone and swear not to change them. Either
we are blind to people we love or unforgiving
of those we are prejudiced towards.
We don't realize that change is a constant for anyone and
everyone. We know that the same person reacts to different people in different
ways. We see various aspects of the same person. That is because of these very
fixed notions about people in their heads that prevent a different perspective,
another vision.
Often, those who have not been close
are suddenly observed to be very close. How
does it happen?
If the motive is not of wanting
something from a person, then it is because the change
has been seen and forgiveness has set in.
Let this become a norm and genuine integration of souls can
happen. I am told by many that I am idealistic. But idealism of today was
realism at one time and can be again.
Surekha Kothari
surekhakothari.wordpress.com
Socialize
Why people do certain things!
Do we understand why people do what they do? Take for instance, card games like
rummy and bridge. Although they fulfill a similar purpose, one is a "white
collar" game and
other is not looked upon as one. No guesses here for which one!
I see card rooms at clubs filled with people, especially the retired and
older generation, who love to socialize over a card game. And I also see other
club goers who turn up their noses at such groups.
The only prejudice for this aversion seems to be that of playing with money.
But gambling is
another story…it can be indulged in different ways.
I see the other, lonely side of these people who are cut off from work
and often, from their families as well. Time hangs and there is much loneliness
which gives rise to depression and ennui
towards the world in general. This can be a potentially dangerous situation.
There is a need for the older generation to keep their brains working
and interest in life alive irrespective of
whether it is playing cards, browsing the internet or anything else.
In fact, this may become true
for all of us as we age. Card games keep the memory ticking, some social
activity alive and enable these people to come out of whatever burdens they
carry.
It is very sad to see people
who lose their mobility and their youth, languishing for a lack of support.
Indoor games are very good for them. In fact, many are now opting to be in
special homes where they can be looked after and be with their own kind, rather
than become isolated within their families.
So, there
is always a larger perspective we fail to see in our conditional minds. What we criticize today may
be a great pastime for us tomorrow. The idea is to stay well, with our mental,
emotional and physical aspects intact and healthy.
Surekha Kothari
surekhakothari.wordpress.com
Monday 22 August 2016
Friday 19 August 2016
Thursday 18 August 2016
Enlightenment
Some days are like a light, happy breeze blowing ...everything
just flows without effort. Kind of raises our expectations for the
future...when suddenly, you wake up to events not really to your liking and the
stress begins. And with that, we start to magnify the small issues on that
particular day. For some, the stress and the bad mood can persist beyond just one day, too.
In Hindi, there is a saying "sab din hote na ek
samaan". How true! All the days in our life
cannot be the same. And that's exactly why we are told all the time that we can
only change our responses to events.
I am not saying
we should be like saints, though enlightenment can and should be the ultimate
goal. We have to really work at it, gradually and with focus.
But on a daily
basis, we do have to come back to the merit of accepting what confronts us
before looking at what can be done about it or whether ANYTHING can be done at all. There is
always a sense of wisdom in letting sleeping dogs lay sometimes but not
always. That is perhaps the key to improving our days.
Surekha Kothari
surekhakothari.wordpress.com
Wednesday 17 August 2016
Karma
Karma simplified! The easiest way to define karma is
"what goes around comes around". But is it so easy? That is only a
part of it. Let us be aware of the
collective nature of karma besides individual ones.
The popular saying, “a father's sins come onto the
children" is not meant lightly. One person's actions can involve many
people around them. Like the AGHORA book on karma talks about an example of
racing where so many people's karma is joined together...the jockey, the bookie, the people who bet etc.
Can you imagine
the level of awareness and wisdom one has to develop to experience the old
karma while refraining from performing new harmful ones?
We often feel so
much intensity of emotion that actions are rooted in feelings, sometimes imbalanced ones.
Let us examine
our thoughts very minutely to control karmic fallouts in our current lives.
Surekha Kothari
surekhakothari.wordpress.com
Friday 12 August 2016
Energy flow
People you love pass away from
this world as all of us must when the time comes. When people tell you to keep
the GOOD memories, I know what they mean. The more hurtful memories we store,
the more we harm ourselves. That is not wise.
Besides, everyone does have a
good side, even if you have amplified the dark side in your mind. So, if there
are no positive memories you have with a particular person; let even the
negative memories go...the past does not return unless
you give it space in your mind.
Let the energy flow and never
allow yourself to be dragged into any situation unless you have transcended
your earlier colored perceptions.
People change. Situations
change. But we hold on to meaningless but harmful memories.
Surekha Kothari
surekhakothari.wordpress.com
Thursday 11 August 2016
Journey
At some point, when you have been running and running for a really long
time, you have to stop and ask, "Why am I running? Has it gotten me
anywhere that I really
want to be?
Whether you run after things or people or your hopes or dreams, the
levels of exhaustion are directly proportionate to the levels of satisfaction
and success. And even then, in time this wears off too....everything has a
saturation point after which it becomes kind of redundant...stops mattering in the larger scheme of things.
And if it doesn't, then maybe there is a longer journey ahead or a
different journey ahead...one thing is sure. We will continue to search even
after all the worldly gains have been achieved, because there is the matter of
the spirit which is still pending.
Surekha Kothari
surekhakothari.wordpress.com
Wednesday 10 August 2016
Generation
Every generation
wishes it was born in the next generation. There are more doors of opportunity, more evolution every few
years…
The minus here
is that the earlier generation does not necessarily have the ability to adapt
to changes, especially in the academic field. Of course, knowledge brings in
many more changes, e.g., in sophistication, behavioral patterns and many personality aspects.
Today, when I
see the elders keeping pace with trends, technology and the overall pace of life, I feel a deep sense of respect
for them. At least, they try. The youth of today does not probably realize how
challenging it has been for their parents' generation to survive within the
rapid growth of societies, waiting to be loved and wanted by their children who
have moved into a bubble of contemporary life, with not enough compassion for
the elders , many of who have not been as privileged.
Surekha Kothari
surekhakothari.wordpress.com
Tuesday 9 August 2016
Monday 8 August 2016
Attachment
It is inevitable that in our
journey, some stay with us all along and some fulfill the reason they were in
your life and move away. It is absolutely ordained and within the plan of our life.
Forming attachments along the
way makes this learning difficult. Much grief, sorrow and unacceptability comes
our way, leading to an arrest in the growth process. We were not meant to
gather so much negativity. But learning such lessons with wisdom would make our
tough karma easier to handle, though inevitable to experience.
Like a child that fails in
exams when it has not learnt the right lessons, life is one such exam where
learning does not come only from mugging but observing, introspecting, experiencing,
making wise decisions and choices and then arriving at the right path.
Surekha Kothari
surekhakothari.wordpress.com
Friday 5 August 2016
State of chakras
Coincidences! Are there any? I don't believe there are. From
a line you read, to a book you select from a shelf to people you meet, the food
you attract, and the clothes you wear...our external world mirrors our inner
world.
Some days, for example, we may choose some colors to wear and
other days, other colors. There is a reason. Colors reflect the state of our
chakras and define our
moods. Food preferences define us.
Of course, as we change our preferences, so we demonstrate the way we are transforming. Like, when a non veg turns a veg, there is surely a change within. Similarly, if you start observing yourself in these ways, you will know yourself much better and succeed in making the changes you feel you should be making for yourself. This expedites our evolution.
Surekha Kothari
surekhakothari.wordpress.com
Thursday 4 August 2016
Wednesday 3 August 2016
Genuine
The ingenuity of the human mind can conjure up "genuine"
reasons and justifications for actions and behavior. We are masters at the game
of illusions which are
a product of our creativity.
But there is only one reality. Sooner or later, we will arrive at that.
Rather, we will HAVE to arrive at that. Like a derailed train or delayed train
that might reach its destination late...how late would depend on how soon the
obstacles can be cleared. Life is pretty much like that. The difference is, in
our case, only we can clear those blocks and obstacles. We can go round and
round but ultimately, we have to find our path to reality. If we won't exercise
the right choices, we will be led to the right choice....
Surekha Kothari
surekhakothari.wordpress.com
Tuesday 2 August 2016
Monday 1 August 2016
Separatism
Taking off from the saying, "Evil is educational",
it seems so much easier to understand when you view this from the point of view
of individual ego inspiring the evil and collective ego , the sum total of many
egos inspiring negativity amounting to collective evil. Like terrorism which
stems from a radical belief system honed by dark perceptions and leading to a
collective evil, all
within the darkness of negative perceptions.
How much cleaning one has to do of the self then is a matter
of every person's agenda for only then will our societies purify and our future
generations become secure, prosperous, progressive and peaceful.
Hatred is evil. Separatism is evil. And
until such memories are transformed, we will continue to attract evil because
we have transcended darkness.
Surekha
Kothari
surekhakothari.wordpress.com
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